British troops injured by criminals will be able to claim compensation from the MoD

MOD compensation claim

11.12.2006

The Ministry of Defence has announced that troops injured in Iraq and Afghanistan by criminals could be in line for compensation payouts of up to £500,000.

Soldiers can claim injury compensation

The government has revised its compensation scheme to enable soldiers injured by those who are not considered enemy combatants to make claims. This is to take account of the "shift in the situation" British troops now find themselves in. Soldiers will be able to claim between £1,000 and £500,000.

Injured troops in line for compensation

Soldiers injured while dealing with riots could be among those eligible for compensation. Already 40 cases are pending, but it is thought many more claims could be made once the government's position is more widely known.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "We recognise that not everyone who might attack service personnel in Iraq is an insurgent," he said. "In the past we wouldn't have considered it. What we are trying to do is update our thinking on it. If you are engaged in deliberate operations against an enemy and if a roadside bomb injures you it's hard to see how anyone could claim. But we now recognise that the situation in Basra has shifted. Not everyone attacking us is an enemy, they might be angry locals."

Troops wounded during the invasion and battle for Iraq would not qualify for the scheme - receiving different compensation and pensions for war injuries.

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